BOSTON, Mass. — By now, the ink would have dried and Prairie Rose Clayton would be looking forward to this weekend’s game at Gillette Stadium.
But Clayton — the artist behind many of the flags and tifos that wave and hang at New England Revolution and U.S. national team games — hadn’t yet finished the template for the pre-match pennant, which Revolution captain Gustavo Bou was supposed to exchange with his Portland Timbers counterpart, when MLS suspended the 2020 regular season for 30 days in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s no date on the pennant,” Clayton told Pro Soccer USA. “On hold in case of a postponement.”
The Revolution joined their 25 counterparts across the U.S. and Canada in standing behind the league for postponing games through April 10. The steps MLS has taken to deal with coronavirus fall in line with those of other organizations like the MLB, NBA, NHL and NCAA, to name a few.
But now soccer fans are coming to grips with the prospect of not seeing a ball roll on grass for at least one month or longer.
Concacaf has suspended all activity. UEFA Champions League and Europa League games are postponed. The Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1, La Liga and Bundesliga are off, too, while 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in South America and Asia are rescheduled for a yet-to-be-determined future date.
Monty Rodrigues, who supports the Revolution and Everton, is one of the founding members of the Midnight Riders and was planning on attending Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium.
Now he favors taking precaution, even if it means temporarily living in a world with less soccer.
“In all honesty, it sucks,” Rodrigues told Pro Soccer USA. “But it’s the right thing to do. I’m very much an extrovert at this point in my life, and I’d have gone to the Revs game Sunday to be with friends, but it wouldn’t have been the smartest move because the best thing is actually to find a way to not spread this virus. Being too close to others, like being in the stands requires, wouldn’t be smart.
“We also [can’t] be selfish in that we want the players we support to take the chance of getting sick, just for our entertainment.”
But the risk of falling ill is already hitting close to home for some players.
U.S. men’s national team midfielder Christian Pulisic and his Chelsea teammates are self-quarantined because their teammate, Callum Hudson-Odoi, tested positive for the disease Thursday.
Juventus defender Daniele Rugani has tested positive as well, along with ex-Denmark national team goalkeeper Thomas Kahlenberg, Hannover 96 defender Timo Hubers and Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis.
No MLS player was believed to have contracted the disease as of Friday, but the league put a moratorium on training until Monday just the same.
“When this is all over, I don’t know what will be left,” one fan, Neil Cash, told Pro Soccer USA. “I fear that 25 years of progress could be torn down by this virus. I hope the league is stable enough to weather the storm, but it’s going to be some time until everything is normal again. Uncertain times.”
As for the Revolution, some supporters are looking on the bright side and say the extra time off will give injured players a chance to recover.
Carles Gil, the team’s captain and best player last season, is returning to full fitness after missing the first two games of 2020 with a foot injury. Starters Antonio Delamea, Alexander Buttner, Matt Turner and Luis Caicedo have also been hampered by injuries.
“I’m definitely bummed I can’t see the Revs for a month…but it’s not all bad for us,” said David Rodriguez, a New England supporter. “It gives us the opportunity to get the squad healthy and if everyone at the club doesn’t test positive for the virus, we can keep training and really get going when play resumes.”
As for Clayton and her husband, Mike, who are both season ticket holders, Sunday was supposed to double as Mike’s birthday celebration. She affectionately pre-ordered a cake for the tailgate, and a friend was supposed to attend the game with them.
Clayton noted that Revolution games have been postponed before — in 2017, frigid temperatures forced the club to reschedule the home opener against Orlando City SC, and the entire league halted play after Sept. 11 — but this time feels different.
The Orlando game was a one-off and after 9/11, sports helped unite a devastated country once the professional leagues came back on line. COVID-19 is unprecedented in that respect.
“It’s tough not to be sad,” Cameron Ramos told Pro Soccer USA. “When major events happen, sports have always been my escape to get away from things and now we don’t have that. I’m hoping that this lasts only 30 days and everyone around the league stays healthy so the beautiful game can return eventually.”